Lemann Store - Donaldsonville, LA
N 30° 06.367 W 090° 59.217
15R E 693967 N 3332254
Located at 312 Mississippi St. in Historic Donaldsonville, LA.
Waymark Code: WM4QX5
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 09/21/2008
Views: 10
Lemann store now houses the Donaldsonville Welcome center and museum. Also named ON BUILDING as the Lemann Block, as it takes up an entire city block. Has displays of period retail items one may have expected to purchase here, clothing, appliances, etc.. Building,IMHO, needs alittle maintance (paint, windows repaired etc..) Nice place to visit.
MUCH larger than it looks, sticks out.
HISTORY
The B. Lemann & Bro. Building was built in 1877 to house the mercantile business started by Jacob Lemann in 1836. The building was designed be New Orleans architect James Freret, and represents the Italianate style, a popular Victorian revival style reflecting the Italian Renaissance. The ornate two-and-one-half story stuccoes brick structure overlooks the Mississippi River and contains almost sixty thousand square feet. A colonnade of fluted cast iron columns supports a gallery continuing along three facades of the building, covering the entire sidewalk. Once the oldest continuing department store in Louisiana, it has been described as “the finest Italianate commercial building in any river town north of New Orleans.”
The store offered groceries, both retail and wholesale, men’s clothing, shoes, hats and lingerie for women, piece goods, notions and hardware. At Christmas time, the second floor became a Toyland.
The gallery houses original artifacts which includes display cases, office furniture, and items overstocked and not sold from 1877-1940 .
Street address: 312 Mississippi St Donaldsonville, LA USA 70346
County / Borough / Parish: Ascension
Year listed: 1982
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Commerce/Trade - Department Store
Current function: Commerce/Trade
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.